Chapter 62 The Way of the Queen.
Before officially taking over Changqiu Palace, the new empress made many preparations, one of which was to secretly entrust the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to compile a detailed account of the relationships between the imperial family members and important officials in the court.
The Lu family's enduring prosperity is not only due to its profound heritage as a family with a long history of official service, but also because Prime Minister Lu Jin held a pivotal position in the court. As early as the Chu Dynasty, Lu Jin served as a diplomatic envoy, visiting various nomadic tribes in the north to stabilize the border. Later, when the Xiao family conquered Chu and established the new dynasty, Lu Jin made great contributions to ensuring the stability of the tribes in the Xiao family's rear.
More than twenty years ago, when Lu Jin was plotting for the Chu Emperor, he betrothed his unmarried younger sister, Lu Zhenning, who is now the elder sister of Empress Dowager Lu, to a tribal leader in the north.
"My elder sister married into the tribe not long ago, but her husband was killed in a tribal war. My elder brother took her back to the Central Plains. A few years later, the political situation in the northern tribes changed, and her young niece from the grasslands came to seek refuge with her and was adopted as her daughter."
After the new dynasty was established, the late emperor rewarded the meritorious members of the Lu family and conferred titles upon them: Lu family members entered the court as prime ministers, Lu Zhenning was conferred the title of princess, and they enjoyed immense prestige for a time. The adopted niece was also conferred the title of princess of Yiyang County, and was given the surname Lu and the name Lu Fu, in memory of her Xianbei surname "Yi Fu".
Therefore, the Lu family did not rise to power solely by relying on their maternal relatives.
Yuan Chaolu had heard of these things, but he had never heard of the past between the emperor and this Princess Yiyang who grew up together.
"It's understandable that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices intends to avoid this and doesn't want you to know for the time being. Lu Fu stayed in the Lu family and had frequent contact with His Majesty since childhood. After growing up, he fell in love with His Majesty and went to Ai's eldest sister, saying that he would marry no one but His Majesty, but..."
Empress Dowager Lu shook her head and sighed, "His Majesty has his own ideas, and I cannot persuade him. At that time, he did not even accept the throne of the late Emperor, let alone this marriage. We had no choice but to put it aside for the time being. Out of consideration for my elder sister and elder brother, the late Emperor still secretly left this imperial edict."
Yuan Chaolu pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty is puzzled. Was Your Majesty unable to attend to the marriage at that time, or did you not approve of the marriage?"
The difference between the two is huge.
Empress Dowager Lu frowned: "His Majesty does not approve, but the late Emperor valued loyalty and righteousness, just like he valued your mother. The Xu Nuoyuan family will intermarry with the Xiao family in the future. The late Emperor also bestowed a marriage upon Lu Fu. Her background involves the northern tribes, so she is destined not to become Empress, but entering the palace as a concubine and having another person by His Majesty's side is not bad."
As the bamboo curtain swayed, it scattered golden light and shadow, illuminating the empress's kneeling figure as if it were a painting of a court lady.
The face was illuminated by the light and shadow, and it was extremely calm, without the slightest sign of panic.
But was she truly unmoved?
Empress Dowager Lu looked at her, her voice filled with helplessness: "I was unwilling to give this edict to the Empress on the second day after the Emperor and Empress's wedding. In fact, this was an edict left by the late Emperor. In addition, before the wedding, my elder sister sent someone to mention this matter, saying that not long after the wedding, Princess Yiyang could be summoned to the palace."
Yuan Chaolu looked at the imperial edict and said, "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for telling me that although this marriage was bestowed by the late Emperor, it would be inappropriate to entrust it to me without consulting His Majesty's opinion."
Empress Dowager Lu smiled and said, "Three years have passed since this imperial edict. Perhaps His Majesty has changed his mind. As a wife, I should naturally share my husband's burdens. This marriage is not easy to arrange, but you are now the Empress."
With her other hand, which held the prayer beads, she touched the phoenix seal. "Does the Empress remember what I said at the very beginning?"
Without the Phoenix Seal, Empress Dowager Lu would not truly relinquish power.
Only after this matter is settled can the Phoenix Seal be handed over to her.
Empress Dowager Lu took Yuan Chaolu's hand and said, "Although the Empress can directly discuss the matter of the imperial edict with His Majesty, if the outcome causes Princess Yiyang to be heartbroken, that would not be good."
She tightened her grip: "The emperor values his relationship with his aunt."
The cool afternoon breeze of Penglai Palace gently blew on Yuan Chaolu. After receiving the imperial edict from the late emperor, Yuan Chaolu finally took her leave. When she left Penglai Palace, it was already evening, and the autumn evening breeze still carried a bit of heat.
The Empress walked along the covered walkway, her entourage slowly making its way to Changqiu Palace.
The Empress Dowager's words echoed in my ears: "In a few days, it will be Runlan's wedding. Both the Princess and the Princess of Yiyang will be attending. You should make preparations in advance, in case the Princess mentions this matter on the day of Lu Runlan's wedding..."
There were two copies of the late emperor's edict, the other of which was kept by Princess Zhenning. The princess doted on Princess Yiyang, and otherwise she would not have gone to the trouble of obtaining this imperial edict for her.
If Yuan Chaolu waits until the will is announced before taking any action, he will inevitably find himself in a passive position.
Princess Zhenning, Princess Yiyang, the Lu family, Prime Minister Lu...
Of all the complex relationships, what caught her attention the most was Empress Dowager Lu's seemingly casual remark that "the emperor values his relationship with his aunt."
Zhong Changjun once revealed that the emperor and empress dowager had spent little time together since childhood, resulting in a distant relationship. But this aunt was quite different…
She must obtain the Phoenix Seal, handle the imperial edict with utmost care, and avoid developing any grudges with her aunt, the Princess.
When the new empress arrived at Changqiu Palace, dusk had already crept up the palace walls.
Outside the courtyard, several archery targets stood, and several tall figures stood in the setting sun. The emperor was talking with Jia Li, the founding duke, and Cui Ming, the grand marshal.
Xiao Zhuo, dressed in black riding attire, extended his arm, nocked an arrow, and held a bow. His movements were fluid and graceful, displaying the elegance of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix. When the arrow left the bowstring, it hit the target without any deviation.
"Your Majesty's archery skills are superb!"
A clear, melodious female voice came from under the corridor. Xiao Zhuo turned around and saw Yuan Chaolu walking gracefully into the courtyard, raising her wide sleeves and clapping her hands in praise.
Her gaze swept over the three people in the arena: "Is His Majesty sparring with the Founding Duke and the Grand Marshal?"
The two ministers bowed to the Emperor, and the Duke of Kaiguo said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. Your Majesty and I often practice archery together."
Xiao Zhuo said, "I used to practice riding, archery and boxing in the morning, but today I had to change it to this time. Has the Empress returned from Penglai Palace?"
Yuan Chaolu nodded and glanced sideways, seeing Zhong Changjun holding a handkerchief and about to step forward to wipe the emperor's face. Just as he was about to take it, the emperor stretched out his arm and pulled him in front of him. He lowered his head and asked, "It's still early today. Why don't we have the Duke of the Founding State and the Grand Marshal in charge of guiding me, and I'll teach the Empress archery?"
Yuan Chaolu was held in his arms like this, and her ears were filled with his warm breath.
Her gaze suddenly fixed on his left wrist, where a patch of white gauze was faintly visible beneath his sleeve: "Is Your Majesty's wrist injured?"
"It's just a minor injury; I was scratched by a golden lion last night," he said casually, handing over the longbow. "Would the Empress like to give it a try?"
Yuan Chaolu lifted her gaze from that arm and looked at his face.
After a moment, he seemed to see the question in her eyes and said, "You were injured by someone, Princess Yiyang."
His face remained completely unchanged, and the smile on his lips deepened rather than diminished, clearly indicating that he was in a very good mood.
Yuan Chaolu tiptoed and suddenly embraced him, her crimson lips close to his ear: "Your Majesty directly told me about the Princess of Yiyang? Then why did I avoid answering when I first asked?"
"Why should I say this?" He gestured for Zhong Changjun to change his bow and arrow. "If the Empress were to hear this without cause, what would she think? It would be best if she didn't know, but if I don't explain, I'm afraid that on my very first day of marriage, my Empress will start to misunderstand, won't she?"
The emperor and empress then whispered to each other as if no one else was around, making the founding duke and the grand marshal feel quite embarrassed, yet the emperor still did not ask them to leave.
Zhong Changjun brought over a new bow, which Xiao Zhuo handed to the Duke of Kaiguo beside him, instructing him to adjust the bowstring tension. He then ordered the Grand Marshal to select a sharp arrow before taking a moment to speak quietly to Yuan Chaolu.
"If the Empress were to have private dealings with Prince Yan and Pei Xi, would she deliberately tell me about it to make me unhappy?"
Yuan Chaolu bit her lip and looked at him, but Xiao Zhuo wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, lifted her wrist with his other right arm, pressed his chest against her back, and raised his voice, "When you draw your bow and shoot an arrow, be sure to concentrate, keep your shoulders down and your arms steady."
After the Duke of Kaiguo finished inspecting the bowstring, Xiao Zhuo took the longbow and handed it to her, leading her to draw the bowstring. "If you want to know what happened, shoot the bullseye."
As dusk fell, her golden wide sleeves overlapped with his dark robe sleeves.
Yuan Chaolu looked at the bullseye directly in front of her, released her grip, and the arrow flew out of the bowstring, striking the bullseye directly.
The Emperor's soft laughter reached their ears, and the Founding Duke and the Grand Marshal beside them clapped their hands and praised the Empress.
Xiao Zhuo pulled her to nock an arrow again before saying, "Last night, on my way back to Changqiu Palace, I first encountered the Prince of Yan and then Princess Yiyang. I never intended to stop for even a moment, but instead, she injured my hand when I was leaving."
As the bowstring was drawn to its fullest extent, and Yuan Chaolu was completely absorbed in his work, he suddenly whispered, his thin lips almost touching her earlobe, "Whether I had a secret rendezvous with someone last night, the Empress knows best when she was getting ready this morning."
"The Empress looked radiant this morning, but I was exhausted and only just recovered. It was because I was upset by those people last night. When I finally saw the Empress when I returned, she took the initiative to push me into bed, which is why I was like that."
Before he finished speaking, Yuan Chaolu flicked his wrist, and the arrow flew out diagonally, grazed the target, and embedded itself straight in the ground.
He spoke softly and slowly, "At that time, I really didn't know the importance of things."
He was speaking the most explicit words, yet his face remained as dignified and refined as ever. He gripped Yuan Chaolu's shoulder tightly, not allowing her to retreat even an inch, and while whispering, he glanced at the Grand Marshal with a smile.
"Cui Ming, fetch another arrow."
He spoke in her ear, which the courtiers perceived as instructions regarding archery. Little did they know that the Emperor meant, "It was only this evening, when I drew my bow, that I realized such matters should be handled like archery—"
"When there is a balance between tension and relaxation, progress should be made step by step."
Yuan Chaolu felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. She turned to look at the emperor, opened her mouth, and hesitated for a long time before finally managing to stammer out, her face flushed, "Your Majesty is truly reckless."
-----------------------
Author's note: I've included a timeline to prevent confusion.
More than 20 years ago, the Yuan, Lu, and Xiao families served the Chu Dynasty. Lu Zhenning married and returned from the north. Xiao Zhuo, Lu Changli, Lu Runlan, and Yuan Chaolu were born. The Chu emperor was licentious and caused internal strife, so he moved the capital. The eldest branch of the Yuan family was imprisoned and died tragically. Chaolu wandered and disappeared. A few years ago, when Xiao Zhuo was sixteen years old, the Xiao family was forced by the Chu Dynasty to establish their own dynasty and attack Chu. Two or three years later, they established a new dynasty. The previous emperor died not long after he ascended the throne, and Xiao Zhuo succeeded him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
